Through the Eyes of an Immortal
by CherubKatan
Summary: Crossover with Highlander. Aya (Ran) is an Immortal, he was born 300 years ago in a little fishing village of japan, but now in the 20th century he's an assassin working for Kritiker. Why is immortal an assasin? (Chapter 7 up)
1. The Voice of the Past

            I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Those two are owned by their respective owners.

Note: _Italics within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^_

Chapter 1: The Voice of the Past

            The soft blue tones of twilight faded as night blossomed into its fullness. Two figures stood atop of a distance roof as the moon slowly made its ascent into the sky. All was quiet in the Tokyo region of Japan, except for, and if you listened carefully enough, the sounds of two swords clashing could be heard. The sounds were faint though, and only the ones trained to hear it were able to. If there were any around to hear it, that is.

            Ran stood on the rooftop, his face drenched in sweat. His arms ached as the weight of a heavy blade pressed down on his thinner katana. He took a swift glance at his opponent for that night. The man was heavy built, had short brown hair and a look of determination lingered on his sweat filled face. The man was a foreigner, but that didn't matter much to the red haired man facing him. He knew that it would soon be only a matter of time and patience when he would finally win the match that was set before the two men and the prize would be his, but then again he never knew what this man could be holding up his sleeve.

            Sparks flew as the two swords finally broke apart. Ran ducked immediately knowing that the man would try to take another shot at his pale neck and parried the blow that came to him. A warm liquid trickled down his arm, causing him to look down. At first, he thought it was only more sweat making its way slowly down him, but he soon realized that it was his very own blood trickling down. He let out a soft growl breaking the silence of the night.

            "You may have cut me," he said softly in the man's very own tongue. "But that is the only wound you'll inflict on me." He ignored what little pain came from the cut.

            The man laughed and cockily raised his blade up again, signaling to the red head that he was about to strike again. "I'm far older than you think I am young one." He said gaily before lunging at him once more.

            The brunette haired man's laughter was short lived, however. 

            Just as he was lunging at the man before him, Ran quickly ducked down. Raising his sword, he gave a quick simple thrust, which caused the blade to slide almost effortlessly through the man's stomach. The sight of the blood spewing out and the pain issuing from the not so deadly wound caused the man to look down. Surprise filled his face before he looked up and saw Ran standing before him.

            A small smile spread on Ran's pale, sweat soaked face as he murmured five simple words, "There can be only one." Then with a practiced eased he pulled the blade free. Bringing the blade of the katana up to his neck he swung in an arc and quickly cut the downed man's head off.

            The head rolled to the ground and Ran only had a minute to catch what little he could of his breath before lightening erupted everywhere. Ran's face twisted in agony as it hit him. This part of the prize always filled him with pain, but the knowledge and power he received from the quickening, as most immortals called it, always left him feeling as if he could take on the world. It also kept him alive a lot longer than most people.

            Finally he could take the pain no longer and collapsed to his knees. He stayed there, as still as he could, just letting the power and knowledge flow into him, purify him, making him even stronger than his already three hundred years of existence he had gathered. Soon enough the lightening storm stopped, the quickening was over and Ran sat there panting. His exhaustion almost won out as he felt he could just pass out right on the roof he was sitting on, but he knew he had to get up and leave before anyone could see him and ask him why he was there.

            As his breathing started to slow back to its normal pace he started to think back on how this all started.

~~~~

            The year was 1698, Japan was still under the control of its emperor, but for the young man named Fujimiya Ran, it didn't matter too much to him. He grew up in a simple fishing village. He had just turned 20 years old and had a respectful family.

            They weren't poor like most of the villagers, they were pretty well off. He had a wonderful fiancé that he was soon to marry. All was peaceful in his home. His father was a respected samurai, who at the same time was teaching his son the basics of formal weapon training. Ran didn't care for it too much but then again he wanted to please his father and bring honor to the Fujimiya name.

            His life was almost dull though, yeah he was to be married and was respected by the villagers surrounding his home, but he always yearned for more. He wanted to see the world. He didn't want to be stuck doing the same thing until he died. That thought was always unpleasant to him.

            Ran stood in the middle of the field surrounding his home. His brow drenched in sweat as he slowly practiced the katas his father had went through great pain to teach him. His movements were a bit choppy and he kept on faltering. Yet, he continued at them even though he knew he would never own up to his father's skill. The sun steady moved through the sky and he continued to try to perfect the moves taught to him.

            As he did this, he lost track of time and was shocked when one of the village peasants came running to him.

            It was early evening when the man came, and from the look of the sun, it would only be a couple of more hours before twilight broke out upon the land. The air was getting cooler as the sun made its way down. Ran stopped what he was doing and glanced over at the villager. The man was old and was one of the local apothecaries for the village. He was a well-known man and highly liked by the Fujimiya clan. Ran put the sword down immediately and ran over to the old man when he fell to the ground out of breath.

            "What's wrong Grandfather?" Ran asked as he helped the old man up.

            "The village, Sir," the old man wheezed out.

            "What about the village?"

            "One of the Imperial guards is making a nuisance of themselves. Thinking they're better than everyone. Is your father around?"

            "Iie, he's out right now on some errands. What's going on?"

            "The guard is killing villagers left and right. Please we need your father's help!"

            "I'll go with you since my father isn't here. Maybe, I can talk the guard out of doing what he's doing."

            "Oh thank Kami-sama." The old man croaked out.

            "You just wait here, I'll see too it."

            With that, Ran gathered up his sword and headed for the village.

            The village was a quaint one. Little houses dotted along the dirt lanes. Many women were out about at this time of day, cooking the meals that the men had gleaned from the fields and what had been caught but not sold in markets. It was a peaceful place, except for the loud yells coming from a local inn where travelers stayed on their way to the bigger cities.

            Villagers crowded around the entrance to the inn, forming a half circle. Ran stood in the back for a bit, trying to get a view on what was happening inside when one of the townspeople recognized him for who he was.

            "Lord Fujimiya's son is here!" The man cried out. "Let him through, he'll be able to stop the guard."

            With that, the crowded parted almost as the red sea had parted for Moses. Ran looked around at everyone. Their faces held a look of hope and respect for the young man who could barely even form his stances properly. He sighed softly and walked inside the inn.

            As he stepped inside the little inn his sense were assaulted by the smells of body sweat, food being prepared, alcohol and the smell of blood. He had to fight the urge to run away from it all and to come back with his father there to back him up. He didn't though. He knew if he were to turn tail and run he would loose what respect he had with the villagers, who looked up to him as their protector, and he would loose the respect his father had for him. Not to mention, if he did run just now the guard would still be able to roam free for a little while longer and more innocent people would die by his hands. That wasn't something Ran wanted, so he continued to move inside and ignored the smells drifting up to his nose.

            He looked around trying to spot the Emperor's guard who had been committing these atrocities and finally spotted him. He was dressed in a normal samurai outfit, instead of the usual armor that one would see on him. He had long black hair, which was knotted in the top. He looked more like a Samurai than one of the usual men who came to the village that were imperial guards.

            The man was sitting calmly at a table. A cup of what one could only guess as tea was in his hand. He didn't look like the sort of man who would do such a thing to simple villagers, but then again most people can hide who they were by just a simple mask.

            Ran walked up to the guard and lightly touched him on the shoulder. "Excuse me," he said. "Are you the one causing trouble in this village?"

            "And who might you be?" The man asked.

            "Fujimiya, Ran."

            "Fujimiya eh?" The man said as he looked at Ran. "Your father's that Samurai isn't he?"

            Ran nodded and shifted his sword slightly. "Why are you causing so much trouble to this simple village?"

            "Because I can." He said casually.

            Ran stared at the guard, he couldn't believe that such apathy for human life came from him. It was almost as if the man had no human feelings for anything or anyone. Fury grew in the red haired man. He continued to look at the guard standing before him. "I would appreciate it if you wouldn't speak that way. Just because you are an Imperial guard, it doesn't mean you can blatantly ignore the life with in people as you are so obviously doing right now. Besides, my father will not allow it nor will I."

            The older man looked up at the fiery red haired man standing before him. "Oh, so the young one wishes to stop me is that it?" He laughed out.

            "If I must, yes."

            The warrior stood up and walked out of the room. Before he exited, he turned back and glanced at Ran. "Well then so be it, but be warned, this isn't child's play."

            Ran followed the man out and soon they were standing in a small clearing. It was one Ran was familiar with, having grown up practically in the area. Trees of many different shapes and sizes surrounded the clearing. The leaves on the trees were still fresh and green, and a soft breeze made them rustle. Night was swiftly approaching and Ran knew that he would have to try to make this quick, for what little skill he had would rapidly get even worse with the onslaught of night.

            Ran looked around, he could make out the shapes of the villagers standing in the trees. He shook his head as he realized that even if he died tonight he would at least have someone be able to tell his father what had happened and why. Briefly, he wondered if he father had even come home yet, and if he had, did he even know what was going on.

            He didn't have much time to ponder on such matters because soon enough the man he was about to fight attacked him. He pulled out his unsoiled katana and quickly tried to counter the on coming assault of the other's blade. 

            The two continued like that for what seemed like a few hours. Night had fallen over the two fighters.

            "You're not bad," the man remarked. "Then again you aren't good yet either."

            Ran bristled at the comment and rushed at the older man, he didn't have enough time to do anything when he felt something pierce his skin. He looked down. Half of the metal blade had been plunged into the boy's chest. Blood the color of scarlet slowly spread on to the blade and dripped to the ground. As he looked at the blade protruding through his chest, he instantly wondered if it was actually going through his entire body.

            With a well-practiced grace, the guard pulled the blade out of the boy. Without the support of the blade and the man, holding him up Ran dropped to the ground. He was unable to move, and he could almost feel the life draining from him as he lie there. He knew he had to get up, to seek help but it would be too much of an effort to even try.

            "RAN!!" Someone screamed out, but he could barely hear them. Everything was grew dark for the young man at that point, and with one last look to the skies he breathed out his last breathe and died.

            The whole village stood there mourning his death. Always they had thought that if there was ever any trouble amongst them or with any outsiders, they believed they could always rely on the steadfastness of the Fujimiya's. This day however, they realized that even the clan of Fujimiya couldn't protect them from everything.

~~~~

            Ran was brought back to the present with a start. He almost didn't want to face what had happened to him back then. He then noticed that his breathing had calm down and he looked around. He was still sitting on top of the roof of the building where he had just fought. Half exposed to the world, then again not many people could make out his figure since the building was tall. Picking up his dropped sword, Ran made his way to the door and slowly made his way downstairs to the outside world.

            He walked down the night-covered streets. His mind rapidly came up with an excuse to tell his coworkers and roommates about why he had been out so late. The scenery flew by him until he finally came to a stop at the front of a little store.

            The store was closed, but above it, he could see from the windows, lights that were turned on. He wondered if his three coworkers were all waiting for him to come home. He'd always told them that whenever he went out not to bother waiting for him since he didn't want nor need them to worry for his well being. Slowly he opened the door and walked in.

Author's notes: Well here, I am starting another long-winded story.

Brad: *glares*

What I mean is here's another wonderful idea for a story given to me by my wonderful muse! *sweat drops*

Brad: *smiles*

Err anyway I hope you guys like this, I don't care if it's been done before because, to be honest, it probably hasn't been done the way I'm doing it ^_____^

Brad: It had better not been done before, I'll kill whoever has wrote it like this.

Erm, lovely my muse is going to get violent now. *sighs* Oh well, if worse comes to worse I'll just do the Chinese Water Torture on him.

Brad: _

^_^ Anyway, I hope you guys do like this. If you do everyone knows what to do already *points at review button*  Can I get anymore obvious on this. Thanks for reading it. There will be more out. Also questions or anything like that can be put in a review I will answer them ^_^


	2. The Echoes of Time

I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Those two are owned by their respective owners.

Note: _Italics within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^_

Chapter 2: The Echoes of Time

Ran quietly walked into the building. He didn't want to disturb his fellow teammates just yet, by being loud. He almost didn't wish to face the questions that were surely going to start as soon as he walked up the stairs from the Koneko.

He glanced around the flower shop that served as a cover for the four assassins and was slightly relieved to see that no one had decided to wait for him in there, as they had done many times in the past. By this point in time he thought that he had finally gotten it into the two youngest boy's heads that he didn't need someone to wait up for him. He wasn't a child anymore, and he was definitely old enough to take care of himself. _Old enough, he thought as he snorted slightly. __That's the understatement of the year. I'm almost too old to even want to remember my age. He shook his head and walked to the stairs leading to the series of apartments located just above the Koneko._

Those apartments served the four men on different levels. On one level, it was their home. They lived, ate, slept, and did a number of things there. In one of the assassin's cases, even enjoyed a sex filled life there. That was in the oldest one's pleasure. Yohji, the thought of that man made Ran briefly wonder if the lanky brunette haired playboy was out with one of his many conquests or had brought her home for the evening. Ran sometimes couldn't believe the stamina or memory that man had for the many women he met and slept with on a daily basis.

Another way the apartments worked for the four young men was as their home base of operation. They planned their strategies for the missions they received there. They even got their missions there. A room was separated from the rest of the house, their mission room as it was called. It was a room hidden by a trap wall that could be opened by pushing a slightly off wooden slab that was by it. Pressing that slab would open the door that showed a small stair case leading back down stairs, too a room filled with so much electronic equipment that it was amazing no one could detect it just yet from how much power was used by them.

He walked up the stairs and passed by the youngest assassin, Omi's room. He could just make out the light that was streaming out from under the boy's door. It seemed like everything was quiet in there but as he walked by he could hear the faint clicking of keys coming from a keyboard. That told the red haired man that the boy was up late either studying for school, although that seemed highly off, or typing up a report that would be sent to Kritiker on a mission that had just been completed a couple of nights ago. If it had been Yohji passing by, he would have opened the door and started to bug the poor child about going through porn sites as an underage surfer. He shook his head at that thought and passed by the genki blonde's room.

A couple of seconds later he found himself passing by the ex soccer player's room. The nineteen year old boy's room was completely dark, which was unusual for the ex J-leaguer. He was normally up still at this time, either reading a soccer magazine, or watching a soccer game on one channel while taping another that's was on a different station. Ran shook his head. That boy was so in love with soccer that it seemed to become the young brown-eyed boy's obsession in life. He paused at the boy's door for a second half tempted to see if the young man was actually asleep but decided not too and continued on his way to his room.

As he was passing by the playboy's room, a series of yelling could be heard coming from there. He paused by the door and listened to see who was arguing. He was shocked to say that it was the young man,Ken and of course Yohji going at it as if there was no tomorrow. Actually the fact that they were fighting didn't surprise the scarlet haired man too much, they did that all the time. It was the fact that they were arguing at this time of night and in the playboy's bedroom that caught Ran off guard. He stood there listening to the fight.

~~~~

The villagers stood huddled around a make shift barge. It carried no adornments or any special features as it was only a ship that sent the dead off to the other world, to the Kami planes. That was where one would be judged according to how a person lived their life.

They turned around and watched as four of the fishermen of that village were carrying a wooden litter that held the now deceased man, Ran. The whole village mourned at this terrible turn of events. Their clothes coloring showed it, but the people that held the most grief were the boy's parents and his fiancé.

The three people trailed slowly behind the litter. Both of the women's faces were stained with dried tears, as their eyes still threatened to bring more forth. They knew though that for now they had to be strong enough to watch their loved one be sent off. The man's face shone with tears, he felt no shame in how he felt for crying over the loss of his only son, as he watched the litter was carried.

Thin white gauze, made of the finest silk, covered Ran's face. His parents spared no expense on their dead son's behalf. They had loved him dearly and it pained them to see that his life had been taken at such a young age. The man responsible for what happened now hung from one of trees, in the exact same clearing were Ran had been killed. A dishonorable way to die but then again what he had done to Ran and to many of the towns people earned him that sort of disrespect. The Emperor wouldn't miss one of his guards and besides he would wholly approve of the way the man was disposed.

They traveled at a stately pace, which only befitted the dead and soon came to a halt near the banks of the shore. They set the board down and started to prepare the boat.

A stiff feeling under Ran slowly brought the boy back into consciousness. He opened his eyes to find that there was nothing but whiteness coming into his view. _This… is the heavens?_ He asked himself as he tried to look around._ If this is the heavens, then why do I feel as if I'm bound and lying on something hard._ His mind was a bit foggy on what had happened to him, but when he finally remembered it, he let out a soft gasp. It wasn't heaven that he was in but on a wooden litter. The town's people thought he was dead, and were going to give him the proper ritual of sending off. 

When he realized this, he shot up from his lying position and caused a bunch of men and women to jump for their lives. No one had ever been seen to die then come back to life. Seeing this caused everyone in the village to back away in fear of who the person or thing using Ran's body was.

He stood up and looked around. His father stood in front of his mother and fiancé, his sword drawn out. He was ready to strike at what ever it was standing in front of him.

"Who are you?" His father asked.

Ran gave his father a questioning look before replying, "It is I, Ran, your son." He started to walk towards the man he called father.

His father raised the blade to his sword higher slightly as if to ward off the younger man's advancement, "I don't know who you are but you can't be my son. He's dead. What foul demon are you that has taken over his body?"

Ran paused, he didn't know what could be making his father so cruel to him. He wasn't possessed by any sort of demon that he could tell. He felt normal, only a slight distortion of why he wasn't dead. He knew he should be, after all, he felt the sword pierce him and he did stop breathing. At that time though he didn't pay too much attention to the fact that he was alive, he wanted to keep his full attention on his father. The one who was currently rejecting him over something he couldn't understand.

His father still had his blade raised and his face was as pale as the moon would be when it was in its full phase.

"I suggest you leave this place demon." His father said after a few moments of silence.

"Father," Ran tried to plead with the man who had given him life once more. "I swear I'm not a demon. I'm your son Ran, please don't do this to me. I don't know why this happened. I don't know what to think but please just don't turn your back on me."

"My son is dead," his father replied. "Now leave." He turned around and looked to his wife and the woman who was once to be his daughter. He laid his hand on his wife's shoulder and slowly led the two women away from the evil creature standing behind him.

Ran watched as his father, mother and fiancé left. His father had said that he wasn't his son anymore. He disowned the young boy. It filled Ran's heart with sadness that he didn't even get to say goodbye to his mother or his love. He looked around. The villagers that had stayed to watch it still had the look of horror on their faces. Everyone he knew gave him this look and made signs to ward evil from them as he glanced at them.

One of the villagers picked up a rock and threw it at him. Soon the others followed. A hail of rocks, along with curses came sailing at him. He didn't almost didn't know what to do until the first thing he didn't came to mind. He ran. He ran away from the curses, the shouts of demon, the cries of monster and continued to run. When he would get too close to one of the villagers they would kick at him and scream out, "Leave!"

~~~~

"Why don't you just leave me alone, Yohji!" Ken's voice broke Ran out of his trance.

He looked up just in time to see Yohji and Ken standing at the door. How much time had passed since he had stopped there to listen in on the argument. He didn't know. The fight reminded him so much of back when his father had practically disowned him. Although, there was something strangely different about the fight going on between Yohji and Ken, Ran briefly wished he had been able to hear the whole argument going on but there had been times during the quarrelling that the voices had been too low to hear.

"Look, Yohji, it's really none of your damn business who I like and who I don't like." Ken's voice interrupted Ran's thoughts.

Yohji looked at Ken, "Ken…" he said before he looked around. He noticed Ran standing there. The brunette playboy shook his head. "Fine, but I'm warning you now, if anything goes wrong… don't come crawling to me for help."

"I wouldn't anyway," Ken said still not noticing the red head watching the whole thing.

Yohji sighed and turned around. He didn't want to continue fighting with the brunette so he did the only thing, he could do, turn back into his room, and shut the door.

Ken let out a soft sigh before turning to head to his room. He almost ran into ran but looked up just in time to see the red head standing there. "Oi, Aya, you scared me. How long have you been standing there."

"Long enough," Ran answered.

Ken blushed at that then looked Ran over. "What happened to you, Aya? Are you alright?"

"I'm fine, I just had a solo mission to do." Ran said quickly.

"Do you need me to help you bandage yourself up?"

"Iie," Ran said before walking past Ken and leaving to his room. He had to wake up early tomorrow since he was working the first shift.

Ken watched as Ran walked to his room and closed the door. He couldn't help but worry over the man. To Ken, Ran was an enigma waiting to be open. A person for all his worth in trying couldn't even open him up, yet Ken still tried. Ken shook his head, Ran always did things like this. Always had solo missions to go on, but no one ever knew this until he came back, this always left Ken worrying for the red head's well being. He tried to help him but he always was pushed away. Ken let out another sigh. He couldn't worry about that just yet. He had to go to bed since he worked the morning shift… with Ran and Kami-sama knew Ran would be an ass if Ken were even a minute late for his shift. Ken walked to his room and fell asleep.

Author's notes: Well… I guess too many people don't like crossovers… but then again can I actually consider this a crossover?

Brad: *raises eyebrow* What? I thought it was a crossover.

Uhhh, I don't know if it is though… then again people are probably wondering why I'm saying that because I'm not really telling them the plot… hehe.

Brad: Call it what ever you want.

Hai I know but people don't review it. . Ah well I won't beg for reviews demo, I will say I would like them, I do like knowing what people think of the story. If they like it or not, if they think I should stop with my stories, or if there's anything wrong with it. I do know I make mistakes on something's.

Brad: *shakes head* For the sake of my sanity would some people review this and tell her what you think she won't listen to me and I'm her muse.

*sighs* Anyway people, I'll start the third chapter soon enough, I'll also probably work on the other two fics I have going on. See ya later!


	3. Rules to Live By

            I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Those two are owned by their respective owners.

Note: _Italics_ within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^

Chapter 3: Rules to Live By 

            The morning sunlight streamed through the windows of the just recently opened Koneko. Business was still slow in there, since the many schoolgirls weren't there yet to pester the two poor men who were scheduled to work in there, that morning.

            The silence suited Ran just fine, because the squealing and giggling of the many adolescent girls grated on his nerves. They would never buy anything, just stand there talking and flirting with the men. This almost caused the boys, whenever they worked, to loose business with most of the older potential customers that would stop by to buy arrangements. He was also still partially exhausted from the battle he had fought that night. The quickening always did that to him even after all the years he had on him since becoming an immortal.

            Ran sat on a stool next to the cash register, it was his job that day to operate it instead arranging the flowers as he normally did. He was going to do that instead of collecting the cash, but Ken had finally got on Ran's nerves. He had been complaining about how boring it was to manage the register during that time of day. No customers were usually around and Ken was the type that always wanted to remain active. The boy couldn't sit down for one minute before standing up to go try to do something, so Ran finally gave into the boy's complaining.

            Ran glanced over to Ken. The boy was busy working on a flower arrangement that had been placed the day before. There were still a few hours before the woman was to come to collect it, but since Ken was so bored, Ran told him to go ahead and work on that.

            As Ran watched the young brunette, he couldn't help but wonder why the boy was the way he was. They were both killers after all, yet Ken still maintained a certain air innocence about him. He never really let anything get him down or to bother him too much. No matter how many times the group would go out to do their job with Kritiker, the next day Ken would always be seen with a huge smile on his face. Ran on the other hand had found that he always had to keep himself hidden from anyone. If they found out all the things about him, they would use it against him and he needed to stay alive.

~~~~

            Ran walked along a well-ridden pathway leading from his village. Bruises lined his face and most likely his body. The villagers didn't treat him very well as he ran out of what was once his hometown.

            He wearily continued to walk on, his head bowed almost in defeat. If anyone were to see him, they would have taken pity on the poor boy. He had the look of someone who had just walked through the very pits of hell and made it back, but just barely. His mind reeled at what had happened to him. His father disowned him, the villagers nearly killed him yet again, and he was reviled and almost completely broken in spirit. If it wasn't for the fact that he still felt like he had to run, he would have just lain down and let his life waste away to nothing. That was how close he was to giving up on everything.

            After he had been walking for a few more hours, he came to a stop when a strange feeling passed over him. It was as if someone was coming towards him or was very near him in the least. He looked up to try to find out why he was feeling that and saw someone standing a few feet in front of him. It was a man. He was slightly taller than he was and stood there blocking the path that he was walking on. The man looked a little bit older than Ran and had black hair. His eyes were a dark brown almost black and a look of ageless wisdom lingered in them. He was dressed in the robes of a samurai and the way he carried himself along with the swords at his side would make a person thing twice about crossing his path.

            Ran came to that conclusion as he watched the man who just stood there looking at him. Ran started to walk slightly off the path he was taking. He wasn't in any mood to get into any more fights that day. One was enough for him to handle so he tried to skirt around the man that was blocking his path.

            The man halted Ran though, as he tried to walk around him. He had drawn his sword and was now holding it out in front of the young red haired man. Ran looked down at the sword in surprise then glanced over to the man standing somewhat next to him. The man had a look of slight confusion over his face as he studied him. His eyes passed briefly over Ran's entire body causing the boy to flinch slightly at the intensity in which he was looking at him.

            Finally the man spoke, "So, you're the one I felt earlier." Though it was said in soft undertones, Ran still caught it and was puzzled by what the man meant.

            "What is that supposed to mean?" Ran asked the man standing beside him. He then turned to face him.

            The man looked at Ran, "That young one is what you will learn in time."

            "Learn? Who are you?"

            "My name is Shion, and I will be teaching you everything about being an immortal."

            "Immortal? What are you talking about?"

            "You, boy, you are an immortal."

            Ran was growing slightly impatient with the man standing before, "I do have a name you know."

            Shion ignored Ran, "Tell me did anything strange just happen to you recently?"

            "Well.."

            "Let me guess you somehow died, yet instead of being in the Kami-planes right now you're standing here breathing and living."

            "How did you know..."

            "I am an immortal also. I felt your death and now I'm going to teach you what it means to be one and the rules."

            "I don't believe this."

            Shion didn't say anything, with his sword still in hand, he jumped back a bit and came running towards Ran.

            Ran didn't have time to defend himself against the sudden attack. He had nothing to use to protect himself against any type of attack. The villagers had run him out of the town before he pick up any type of food, clothing, or a katana to arm himself with. Without any of that, he knew that he would probably die soon of starvation. It wouldn't matter now though since he was being attacked again.

            Shion struck the poor boy in his chest. This caused Ran to fall to his knees in pain. The boy was somewhat shocked over what was happening. This Shion said he was going to teach the boy about being an immortal but here he was a few inches away from the young man with his sword stuck inside of him. Was this some kind of cruel trick that fate was playing on him?

            Slowly Shion pulled the blade out of the boy's chest and stood there. "You should be healing yourself in a few moments."

            Ran glanced down at the wound in his chest and watched in amazement as what Shion said was true. The hole did start to heal itself. It was doing it slowly but it was going away. Soon only a little sliver of the sword thrust was left, then that disappeared as well. Ran looked up at Shion.

            The man was still standing there. His face held a passive look about it and he was watching the boy again in front of him.

            "How did this..." Ran tried to ask.

            "Come with me and I will explain everything." Shion said before the boy could even finish the question. It was as if he was expecting it to be asked.

            Ran nodded and stood up. He didn't know why he was doing this, but he decided that it would be best to follow him. He had many questions that he wanted answered and from the looks of it this Shion person was the only one he could turn to for answers that he now sought.

            They walked off the path were everything had happened and went through the woods that surrounded it. Their journey was a silent one. Ran had tried to start up a conversation between he and the man he was currently following but every time he did Shion would throw a peculiar look his way. This caused the red head to close his mouth and stifle any questions or comments that might be running through his head at the time. To Ran it seemed like this samurai with ageless eyes would explain things to him in time. He just had to wait to receive them.

            After they had walked through the woods for what seemed like ages, they finally came to a stop.

            Ran looked around where they had came to a halt. They had stopped at what looked like an almost ancient temple that was surrounded by sakura trees. They held the same look of agelessness that the temple held. It was an awe-inspiring place just by the look of it. Instead of being made out of wood as the temples were created during this age, it was made out of gray stone. Huge stone statues of the gods were almost scattered around the place. Some were broken while others were intact. The place also held a peaceful feeling about it, which caused Ran to relax a bit at the sight of it.

            Shion walked over to the temple then looked at the young man. "Come, we are here." He and Ran both walked into the huge temple. "Welcome to my home, there's a hot springs in the back." Shion went over to a chest that stood in the corner. He opened it up and started to rummage around it.

            Ran watched the man. "I thought you were going to explain things to me first."

            Shion continued searching until he finally found what he was looking for. He stood up. "I will but first clean yourself off, you're a mess." He threw a pair of clean clothes to Ran who deftly caught it.

            Ran walked out in the direction Shion had pointed out and came across the springs. Trees surrounded the area where the hot springs was located in. Steam rose from it and it called out to an invitation to the young man who just realized how dirty he was. He took his clothes off and stepped into it. Immediately he relaxed as the water engulfed him and for once, he felt completely at ease.

            He stayed in the water for a little while longer, just letting the warmth of it all erase the tension that had built quickly within him. Finally, he got out of it completely clean and put the clothes on that Shion had given him and went back inside.

            Shion was leaning over a huge fire. A huge pot was over it and from the looks of it, the man was cooking dinner for the both of them. The smells coming from it made Ran realize how hungry he was when his stomach started to rumble.

            Shion looked up, "Ah good you're finished, this just got done so help yourself and we'll talk while we eat."

            Both men helped themselves to the food that was in the big cauldron looking thing and ate in silence for a while. Finally, Ran spoke up.

            "You said I'm an immortal..." He started hesitantly. "What did you mean by that?"

            Shion looked over at the young boy, "Exactly what it means, you cannot die. Although, there are some exceptions to the immortality rule."  
            " Like what?"

            "Well, the only way you can die, is if someone takes your head and let me tell you there will be plenty of men and women who will try to do it without hesitating."

            "Why?"

            Shion took another bite to eat before talking. "Because of the quickening."

            "What's the quickening."

            "It's kind of like a game we play, for each immortal head that is taken off, we get their powers, sometimes their memories. In the end, there will be only one of us left and we receive the ultimate prize. We become almost human again and can if we wish rule the world. We'll have the power to do anything we want. That's why other immortals will be after you."

            Ran stopped eating for a second. Most of what he was hearing he couldn't believe. "When did this all happen."

            "I don't know. None of the other immortals knows either. Even the oldest ones of us do not have a clue as to when it started or where we came from. Some people have their theories and others just don't care. They just want to attain that power." Shion looked outside. "Come, I said I was going to train you. There's still more light left today so lets begin. I'll explain more while we train."

            Ran nodded and stood up. Just as he was about to walk outside, Shion stopped him.

            Shion held out a katana for the young boy. "You'll need this."  
            "Don't you need it?"

            He pulled out another one. "I have more than enough swords. You can keep that one." The two men walked out and soon Ran's training began in earnest.

            "First thing you need to learn is the rules. First rule: You cannot fight another immortal for the prize on Holy Ground. The second rule is: You cannot interrupt a fight when two immortals are already going through a battle and the third rule is: you can never attack another immortal once they've experienced the quickening. Doing so would be considered un-honorable and bad form. Although there are many evil immortals who would do that on a moments notice." They began to fight.

            There wasn't a day that went by that he didn't spend his time training with Shion. He stayed with him training for years. Until one day after a fitful sleep, Ran woke up and found Shion gone. There was a small note telling him that Shion had gone. He had been challenged and he couldn't refuse it.

            Ran waited a full week for his teacher to return, but the man never came back. This caused the red head to worry and so he left in search of him. He never found any trace of him though, and finally came to realize that his teacher didn't survive the fight. He decided then that he would leave and learn more on his own.

~~~~  
  


            Ken stared at Ran. The man had just been standing there at the counter. A dazed look was in his eyes. Seeing this on the usually cold man, caused the brunette to worry about him. It wasn't everyday that Ran looked like he was lost in outer space. Besides, there was a customer standing right in front of the red head and she was on the verge of getting angry with him.

            Ken decided at that point that it didn't matter to him if the fiery haired assassin was going to kill him, but he had to break him out of what ever he was doing and get his mind back on the work they had to do. In addition, it was almost time for Yohji and Omi to come down and take over for them.

            Ken walked over to the red head. Casting a quick apologetic smile to the woman in front of him, he placed his hand on the red head's shoulder and gave him a slight shake.

            Ran shook his head and glared at his coworker. He didn't like being touched or, for that matter, being shaken so out of his memories. Growling deep in his throat, he was about ready to hit the younger man in front of him when he looked past his shoulder and saw the woman standing there.

            "Ah, Aya," Ken said. "I hate to do that to you, but this lady here would like to pay for her flowers." He shot Ran a concerned look. "Are you alright though, Aya?" He asked.

            "I'm fine. Now let me get back to work." He brushed Ken's hand off his shoulder and soon was ringing up the woman.

            Before he could take the money from the woman, a strange sensation passed over him. He knew though, that it could mean only one thing. Another Immortal had just walked into the building he was at.

            As he took the money from her, his eyes scanned around the place, hoping that even with the huge crowd of customers and schoolgirls, he would be able to spot who ever it was that was after him. Finally, his eyes landed on the only person he could tell it could be.

            The man glanced at him and walked towards him. He kept his eyes on Ran as he gave the woman her change and in a monotone voice told her a thank you and to come back again. He then spoke up, "It's been a long time since we talked to each other last."

Authors notes: BWHAHAHAHAHAHA! This is probably the longest chapter I wrote for any story.

Brad: I doubt that. If it's past three thousand words, then yes, it will be but I really doubt that it is.

*pouts* Ah well, but it is long! Then again, I did have to explain what an immortal was and the rules. ^___^

Brad: That is true. There are some people who might be reading this and not know what Highlander was about.

*nods* Hai! Like Kami-chan! *glomps Kami-chan* I would have explained it to her over aim, but I forgot to. *sweat drops* Anyway, guys, still don't worry about my Green Eyes fic, or the Wishes Granted one either. I'm kinda working on Wishes Granted, while I work on this one and Green Eyes I've set aside a bit to give my mind a rest from it. Remember also if ya like this story go ahead and review it. Don't be shy! I hope you liked this one and I thank everyone who's reading and reviewing it so far. I hope you all still enjoy this. I'm going to head out now! *waves* Ja ne!


	4. Old Friends

            I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Those two are owned by their respective owners.

Note: _Italics within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^_

                                                            Chapter 4: Old Friends

            As Ran finished up with the customer he was working on the man he spotted a few seconds before spoke up, "It's been a long time since we talked to each other last." He spoke in a flawless French, and hinted on a slight Scottish accent. Ran would have thought after all that time one person had stayed alive they would have finally lost that accent but this man never did.

            Ran looked at his old friend. The man seemed unchanged. He had long black hair clipped back from his face. His deep brown eyes held a sparkle of merriment in them and his face held a broad grin over it. He was wearing a long flowing black trench coat with a deep purple shirt under it. Ran knew that under the trench coat, held his very own katana that he used and carried around just incase of an attack was directed towards him. Ran shook his head. Even after about one hundred and fifty years, the man would almost never change. Then again neither would he seeing as how he was froze in the age of a twenty year olds body until the end of time, or when someone finally bested him in the game and claimed his head. "What brings you here, Duncan?" Ran asked him in the language his friend had spoken in.

            Duncan Maccloud grin grew brighter, "I was in the neighborhood, and a friend of mine said they'd seen you here, so I decided to drop by and pay you a visit."

            Ran nodded his head at the explanation given to him by the man.

            "Although," Duncan continued to speak, "Working as a florist never struck me as something you would do with your immortality."

            Ran shrugged his shoulders at that, "It gets me by in the years."

            Yohji, Omi, and Ken watched the exchange going on between the two young men. Shock was written plainly on their faces as they saw a side to their teammate that they had never seen before. They never knew that Aya knew more than one language or had any friends for that matter. They always thought that he would rather die than to get to know anyone or get close to them for that matter, but here he was with some complete stranger talking to him as if they were old friends.

            As Duncan and Ran sat there talking about things, they sensed the presence of another immortal nearby.

            They looked around trying to see who it was. As they did this Ran spoke quietly to Duncan. "Don't worry, who ever it is can't attack us. This is still considered Holy Ground."

            Duncan looked at Ran and raised his eyebrow, "It is?"

            Ran nodded and pointed to a little shrine in the corner. The ground that the Koneko was built on was once the very temple that Ran had trained on with Shion. It was still blessed and the shrine was the last remnant of the temple left. That made Duncan and him safe from any immortal daring an attack.

            Duncan nodded but kept his hands poised, ready to bring out his katana in a flash should he need it. He kept his eyes trained on the door. Soon enough both his and Ran's waiting was rewarded.

            A young woman walked in. She was in her early twenties. Her black hair was cut close to her head. If it had been cut any closer, then it would have been completely shaved off but it wasn't. She was dressed in almost a tight fitting white top with as well as almost tight fitting black pants. She looked around her and spotted Duncan and Ran off to the side talking to one another but was abruptly blocked off by Yohji, who started to flirt outrageously with her. As he was flirting with her, she looked over at the two men and gave them a wink.

            Duncan recognized her immediately and took one quick glance at her before turning back to Ran. He confirmed what could be seen plainly on the younger man's face. "No, Amanda, hasn't changed much since the last time we had all meet."

~~~~

            The streets of Paris seemed to burst out with activity as the many people who, worked, lived, or just happened be there on a visit from one of the towns or countries surrounding the place began their day with the newly risen sun. The sounds of merchants calling out the names of their wares, in hope of actually attracting the attention of the many passerby's would stop and look at what it was they were offering and just maybe they would buy something from them. Add this to the cacophony of many people talking, laughing, and the sound of horse hooves falling on the ground. Occasionally one of the merchants would actually succeed in cajoling a man or a woman to stop and look around at the goods being sold there. When this happened he would throw a triumphant look to the others along the street as if to say, "I got them now and you can't have them," and they in turn would send a scowl to them in that direction only for it to be laughed at or shrugged off by man.

            Children played on the edges of the cobbled streets. Courtiers stood, sat, or walked along the self same streets. You could tell a noble man or woman from the peasants with their finely made gowns and breeches consisting of the finest silks, that came from what they called the "Mysterious" lands of the west, along with their white powdered hair or wigs that were the current vogue of the lands.

            The year was 1748. King Louis XV was firmly placed on the throne and so far, it seemed like everything would be well and peaceful for once in the country. Just that year they had finished a war that was going on in Austria that lasted for a decade. Everyone was relaxed and enjoying the respite from that war.

            Ran walked along the stone filled streets of Paris. About fifty years had passed since his mentor and teacher, Shion, had left him, never to return. He had stayed on in the temple for less than a year before finally deciding to go out into the world. He figured that if he did that, he would get to see more of it, which was one thing he was yearning for, and just maybe the fears of his teacher being dead would get proven unfounded.

            He stopped as he looked around. Through out his wanderings in the world, Paris seemed to be the most shocking places of them all. Whores littered the streets showing off their own special "wares." It didn't bother the women that it was unseemly to do so especially with children around and it being broad daylight. No one seemed to care about this. The lack of honor with in the city seemed to make Ran yearn to leave the place as soon as he possibly could.

            As he stood there looking around, a young woman walked up to him. "You're a handsome one," she said and smiled at him. She wasn't a bad looking young woman. Her hair was full and brown, which hung loosely to her waist. The clothing she wore though were dirty as well as most of her body and when she smiled, you could immediately tell that some of her front teeth were missing. She bent forward slightly to show off more of what little cleavage she had. "I can show you a good time."

            Ran stared at her in horror. He could barely understand a word she was saying since his grasp on the French language was still limited to only a few words and phrases. He could tell what she was hinting at though. Her way of talking held a slight seductive tone to it as well as her body language. "Nani?" He asked in his native tongue.

            She looked at him for a second taken back by his use of another language. Her eyes widened, "Oh, you're one of those foreign men." She looked mildly upset before smiling again. She grabbed his arm. "That's ok I've always wondered how good you foreigners were." She started to pull him off the side of the road.

            Before she had a chance to drag him a couple of feet, he broke loose from her almost iron tight grip. He gave her one final look before running away with as much speed as he could muster. He ignored her cries of dismay and the loud protests of other men and women as he dodged in and out of them in hopes of getting away from the city as quickly as possible. Soon enough, he found himself out side of the town, panting in almost exhaustion.

            Great trees lined the now dirt path that Ran walked on. The sun streamed through their leaves in patches, while the sounds of birds, singing filled the air. Everything was still along the road, and it was peaceful compared to the city that Ran left in a great hurry.

            He was glad that he was finally out of that city. The place was a little to crowded for his taste and the corruption that lingered there set his teeth on edge. France was nothing like the country he came from. Oh, sure, they had whores there, but in Japan, they were treated with more dignity and class. They were never dirty or toothless, as almost all of the ones that could be found there or even like that young woman from earlier.

            Ran continued to look around as he walked through the forest. In a way, he started to wonder why he had even decided to leave the protection of the temple to see the world. It was turning out to be far more different than he ever expected, but then again there was little that he knew of with just being the son of a minor, but well-known samurai.

            As he was wandering through the forest comparing the two places, a strange sensation stole over him. It was the type of feeling that would come upon him whenever Shion was about to walk into the temple after being out in the city. Shion had once explained to him the reason why he would get the feeling as he did.

            "It's the presence of another immortal that you're sensing, young one," he said one night when Ran finally got the courage to ask him about it. "In most cases, when you feel it, I'm the one you're feeling."

            "So, I'll feel the same thing with others like us?" Ran asked curious to find out.

            "Yes."

            "Why?"

            "I don't fully know why. It might be that our souls are so strong that they call out to others when we get around them. Then again, it could just be like the swordsman's spirit most samurai's have that can warn them when an attack is imminent. There are many reasons as to why we sense it."

            Ran stopped as the presence in front of him grew stronger. Soon enough, a young man stepped out almost in front of him. He was tall and had the look almost as if he was a French vagabond. A light rapier was at his side as well as a musket.

            Ran gave the young man only a fleeting glance and stepped out of his way. He thought that the man standing in his way was making his own way to the city he had just left in a hurry. However, he found out all too soon how very wrong his guess was. As he was politely stepping out of the man's way, he found himself just narrowly escaping the swift slash of the man's smaller bladed rapier.

            Ran unsheathed his katana and neatly blocked another incoming attack. He couldn't understand why this man was attacking him. He'd done nothing wrong to him. He hadn't been impolite to him or insulted him in anyway, so the attack against him was without provocation.

            As blow upon blow reigned down between the two men, Ran briefly realized that the man attacking him wasn't the immortal he had sensed just a few seconds before hand. He had no idea who this man was. He glanced around to see if he could find out where the immortal was hiding, to see if they were the one that was causing the man to attack him, in hopes of finding any weakness within Ran's fighting style.

            The young swordsman used Ran's distraction to his advantage and neatly twisted Ran's sword out of his grip. As the red head became disarmed, the French man did a perfectly aimed thrust and pushed the sword into Ran's chest.

            The feeling of cold metal mixed with the wet slickness of blood broke Ran from his search of the other immortal. He slid to his knees as a fiery pain flared through him. _No matter how many times I've had a sword plunge into me, or how many times I'm killed, it still hurts like hell. Ran thought to himself as he looked up at the man still standing over him._

            His assailant wore a broad grin on his face and was glancing off to the side of Ran. His mouth was moving as if he was talking to someone, but to the crimson haired, immortal, the heavy pounding of his own blood, which beat loudly in his ears, drowned all sound out.

            As he continued to look at the man in front of him, the immortal he had sensed earlier stepped out into plain view. It was a woman, a beautiful one, with long black hair. Her clothing was that of a peasant. A plain brown gown, but it wasn't one that was like most peasants. It was modestly cut high, so no man could stare at her for too long. The most notable thing about her though was the broad sword she carried at her waist. Ran was surprised at that, seeing how this was the first female immortal that he had ever met and he didn't think that women could become one. This however corrected his opinion on women being one.

            The woman crooned in delight as she took in the sight of the immortal. "What do we have here?" She spoke out in plain French, but quickly realized that he didn't understand her when she saw the confused look on his face.

            She moved forward to see if she could place the language that he spoke and accidentally stepped on his old katana. She gave a cry of delight when she realized how old it was and picked it up and a mischievous glint came over her eyes as she looked from owner to sword, then quickly took off with it.

            Ran fell forward as finally, the loss of blood killed him, and his last coherent thought before he fell to what would be a partial death was. _First, a whore tries to get me into bed with her, now I'm dieing... again... and my sword was just stolen... this is just the most wonderful day I'm having..._

~~~~

            Ran looked over at Duncan and smirked at him. He knew all too well that even through the passage of time, nothing would ever change the shorthaired thief. Oh, her looks might change but her very nature would always remain the same. No matter what happened to her.

            Duncan let out a small laugh and said to Ran in a quiet tone. "You should warn your coworker over there about her, you know."

            Ran shook his head.

            Duncan gave the red head before him a long steady look, then moved his gaze back at the two people. Yohji was beginning to become flustered as it seemed like the young woman was taking no notice to his advances and for Yohji that was a first. In all his life, he had never had a woman turn him down before.

            Before things could go any deeper between the two and Amanda could rob the poor brunette blind, Duncan spoke up in Japanese. "I'd advise you to stay as far away from her as you can. If you don't she'll rob you of everything from your clothes to even the glasses on your face."

            Yohji stared at the man, his face lingering on horrified to plain disgusted.

            Amanda looked over at Duncan and pouted. He always had to ruin what little fun she could get from anyone. She quickly dismissed it as she brushed what she said aside and looked at Yohji. "Oh, don't worry about me stealing anything from you. I only go after the bigger things," she purred at him in a silky voice.

            Yohji's eyes widened at that. He looked from her to Ken who happened to be standing right next to him at that moment. He leaned over to Ken. "Was she insulting me?" He asked to the younger boy.

            Ken shook his head and laughed. "I don't know Yohji, that's for you to decide."

            Ran watched the interplay between them all in mild fascination, then glanced back over to Duncan. "So what are you really doing here?" He asked in a calm voice.

            "I just wanted to catch up on old times." He replied. "Lets go for a walk and talk."

            Ran nodded and soon the two men were out the door and down the street talking of old times.

Author's notes: *thinks* Hmm… I could have done better with the chapter… but I'm kinda sick right now so my muse is being… well… lenient on me?

Brad: … I don't want you to over work yourself…

Since when have you been concerned with me?!

Brad:… Since you were so gracious enough to take me away from the nut house known as Isa-chan.

Oh…uhm anyway…sorry it wasn't Schwarz… I can say they will be in the later chapters ^_^ just have to wait and see… *coughs* oie… I'm going to take a break from writing though… that is until I'm over being sick… Anyway Thanks for the reviews and I hope you enjoyed this chapter. More will comes soon.


	5. As Time Goes By

            I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Those two are owned by their respective owners.

Note: _Italics within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^_

Chapter 5: As Time Goes By

            The streets of Tokyo seemed to burst alive at it's seems. Hundreds of people bustled about, jostling people here and there in their frenzied activity of wishing to get where they were going as quickly as they could.

            Ran looked around at the bodies swelling near him, but thankfully not close enough to touch him, as he and his friend Duncan Maccloud strolled down the streets at a leisurely pace. In all his years of living, Ran still found that as time progressed, people remained unchanged. Oh, they thought they were changing at a rapid pace, but in reality, the only thing that changed was the convenience of it all. To think, only a hundred some odd years ago, when a person was hungry, they had to go out for hours on end, hunting for what they could. Then, they had to go through even more long hours to prepare what they had caught, when now a days all one has to do when hunger strikes is walk down the street to the local McDonalds™, order a Big Mac™, fries and a shake. Viola, a meal for you that took only twenty minutes to get all together, and gave you ten years of fat to work off as well.

            As Ran's mind wandered over those thoughts, Duncan kept a running monologue going. He was trying to bring Ran up to date on what had been happening to him since they had last seen each other. "So, there was Tessa, dead on the ground. Killed by a thief, along with Richie… he's one of us now, an immortal, but I don't think he really understands what it really means. Yeah, he knows about the quickening and all, from living with me for like the last couple of years, but you know how kids are, all hot headed, and think they know best. This is exactly how he is."

            Ran broke his thoughts at that point and looked at the Scottish man beside him. "Through all your talking, you've never mentioned Darius. How is he?"

            "Well…" Duncan's footfalls began to thud in heaviness.

            Ran turned to look at the one he called friend for such a long period of time. "Well? What do you mean well, Maccloud?"

            "That… is a long story my old friend."

            "And we have all the time in the world, Duncan, so tell me what happened to our Old friend the priest."

            Duncan sighed. "If you insist."

            "I do."

~~~~

            Heavy bells rang through out the small room causing its sole occupant to awaken out of the death like slumber he was in. 

            Ran Fujimiya had no idea where he was. He had been expecting to wake up in the middle of the forest path, not where he was now, a room that was almost smaller then the huts that were his fellow townsmen lived in, the poor ones for that matter. Although, this room looked much nicer on the inside than what the peasants would live in.

            As he noticed before it was a cramped room with gray, unadorned, stone walls. A small fireplace lies to the far right hand side of the wall. It was about three footsteps away. The only other thing that could fit in the minute room was a bed. The bed was hard and yet slightly comfortable at the same time. In addition, the whole room was cleaner than any of the others he had slept in at taverns.

            Ran had no idea where he was. He'd been expecting to wake up in the middle of the forest path that he had fallen in, not some cramped room where the sounds of ringing bells could seep through the crumbling mortar that held the stones together as the wall.

            He sat up on the bed and groaned softly when his muscles protested their movement. Even though he had been passed out for only a few hours or less, his muscles still felt as if it had been forever and a day since they were used last. The pain from them was intense and caused Ran to vainly wish that he could just idly sleep his whole life out.

            As he moved a flicker of cloth caught his attention. He looked down to see what it was.

            It was brown and upon closer examination, he found that it was just a small piece, belonging to a huge hooded robe that covered his thin pale body.

            He blinked in surprise. Someone had taken the time and energy to not only cleansed him of the dirt he had accumulated, but to also clothe him into something different. He briefly wondered what happened to the ones he was wearing before. The clothes he had on before were comfortable to him. Made of a nice cotton material, and were not stained too badly by his travels… there were patches in them… but what would you expect for a person who couldn't really afford a decent pair of new clothes for the last 10 years. He absently scratched himself where the new robe was chaffing him and sighed.

            Getting up out of bed, he stifled yet another incoming sigh. In a way, he was grateful  to whomever it was that had helped him out, but he knew he couldn't stay here for too long. The roads ahead were calling him and his eagerness to find out what had happened to his mentor pressed his mind.

            Gracefully he slid over to the wooden door and placed his hand on the wooden knob to open it.

            As he did this, the presence of an immortal washed over him, causing him to back away. He didn't know if the presence he felt was hostile or not, so he went to unsheathe his thin katana.

            The groping of air caused the red head to look down.

            In the place where his sword usually rested was a belt tying his robes around him. He cursed softly to himself as memories flooded through him of what happened before he passed out.

_She took my sword! I can't believe her._ He thought, a low growl forming in his throat. _If I ever find her,… she's dead._

            At that moment, though the presence was growing stronger. As it grew, Ran came to realize that it wasn't one immortal he felt but two. _Great… now they're going to gang up on me. No wait, they can't. That's forbidden in the game._ He gave a soft sigh and walked back over to the small bed. Sitting down on it, he quietly waited for what the fates held in store for him.

            His waiting was finally rewarded, for not long after he had sat down, the tiny room's door gradually opened and two men strolled into the room. 

            What he saw of them made him slightly curious. One man was tall and thin with short brown hair. His eyes were hazel and held an anguished yet wise look to them, as if they could tell of horrors from ages past, but were slightly lit up by the smile that played upon his lips at that moment. His clothing was the same as Ran's, brown robed and hooded but at that time his hood was down.

            The other one was a bit shorter. His hair was short but not quite as short as his taller companion's and had a slight wave in it that would probably never leave with his hair that short. Luminous brown eyes sparkled with mirth, the two were probably talking and having a good time before coming to check on the red headed wanderer. His clothes seemed to be made of the finest spun silk and contrasted against the plain garb of the older man he was with. To Ran, it seemed that the many years of eternity that man faced, or would faced, would never weigh heavily on him as it did his companion, then again, he wasn't as old as the other one.

            While Ran studied the two whom had just walked in, they studied him with the same intensity. Finally, the taller of the two spoke up.

            "Greetings, I'm called Darius. How may we call you?" he asked. His voice held a strangely, gentle quality to it.

            Ran blinked. He still couldn't understand the language of the people here in what he called, odd land he came to. "Nani?" He asked confused.

            The smile on Darius' face grew. He recognized the language the younger immortal was speaking. He had after all lived for over one thousand years and was probably one of the oldest immortals alive in the world. He thanked the living God that he had taken the time to learn it and spoke to the man in it. "I am called Darius." He bowed to the crimson haired man. "May I ask what you are called?"

            Ran was shocked to say the least. In all his wandering over the past fifty years, no one he had ever come across ever knew his language and he thought that it was about time someone could finally speak a language other than the barbaric ones he had come into contact.

            He gave a small nod in acknowledgement to Darius' greeting. "My name is Fujimiya, Ran," he answered.

            "Welcome then, Fujimiya-san."

            Ran smiled briefly then pointed over at the man who was accompanying Darius. "Who is the silent one and are you here for my head? Or are you just going to attack me like that one man and woman did on the road?"

            Darius raised his eyebrow and shook his head. "No, we aren't." He placed his hand lightly on the man next to him. "This is Maccloud, Duncan, a friend of mine. He found you on the road and decided to bring you here, instead of letting the vultures pick at your "dead" carcass." He had a wiry grin on his face. "May I ask what bring you to France? You're far from home, young one."

            "I came here in search of the one who taught me," Ran answered the smiling man. "He left around 50 years ago saying he would be back in a few days time. He hasn't been back since."

            "What was his name? I might know him, or at least have heard of him."

            "He's known as Shion."

            A  sad look crossed Darius' face when he heard the name. "I'm sorry Fujimiya-san, but I'm afraid he's dead."

            Duncan Maccloud sat through the whole exchange between the two men. A strange look sat on his face until finally, he leaned over to the taller man and lightly tapped him on the shoulder.

            Darius turned his attention back to him and the two began to rapidly exchange things in French, leaving Ran clueless of what the two were saying.

            As soon as they finished speaking, Darius looked back towards the red haired swordsman. "You said earlier that you were attacked by two people. Do you know what was the cause of them waylaying you?"

            Ran shook his head, "No, I don't. I do know that it was a man and a woman who did it. I believe she took my katana afterwards."

            "What did she look like?"

            "She was about my height, maybe taller, long brown hair braided, brown eyes. She wasn't that bad looking either."

            Darius turned around to face his companion and relayed what was said to the Scottish man.

            His brown eyes widened in recognition of the woman's description. "Amanda…" he said before turning to leave.

            Darius watched the younger man go then turned to look at Ran. "It seems to me that my young friend there knows exactly who it was that took your sword. I can guarantee that you'll have it back in no time at all." He said wryly. "Enough talk, I have a feeling that you might be starving, after all you've just died and risen from the grave like Christ himself."

            Ran nodded but kept his puzzlement, on just whom Christ was, to himself.

~~~~

            Ran stopped in his tracks, "When did this happen and how?"

            "Oh, the usual decapitation…" Duncan replied lightly.

            Ran turned to glare at his old friend and paused. No matter how glibly he spoke on the subject. Ran could see the pain that lingered in his eyes. Almost as it pained the red head to think about … Ran shook his head. He wouldn't walk down that path of thought just yet. He couldn't. Yes, there was still pain he felt when he tried to face it, but soon, it would be over. His feelings told him that. Ran's face softened from the scowl was going to shoot his friend. "Tell me, who did this to him? Was it an immortal?"

            Duncan shook his head. "No, it wasn't. You know we immortals do not attack on holy ground."

            "… Then what happened?"

            Duncan looked at in the face. "Have you ever heard of an organization known as the watchers?"

            Lavender eyes widened at the mention of that name.

Author's Notes: Well now… I will say this isn't up to par on my usual chapters… but hey give me a break will ya? For the past few weeks or more, I've been busy at work… plus the fact that I've had some writer's block… but I do know where I'm going!

Schu: Yeah down a fast track to insanity. *smirks*

*rolls eyes* Whatever Schu, you're one to talk besides… I'm already insane! FWEEEEEEEEEEEEE! *coughs* Anyway, I hope you guys like this chapter… I'll get to the plot soon enough.

Schu: Yeah and you're taking your sweet time to do it XP

Argh! Someone shoot me! Thanks guys for the reviews so far and hey keep them coming if you have anything to say about this so far. I'm always up for comments, suggestions,… but no flames… review constructively… not idiotically. *bows* Thank ya kindly.

Schu: Yeah! Flame her! Flame her!

*bops Schu*

Schu: OW!


	6. Distant Memories

            I don't own Weiß, nor do I own the series Highlander. Their respective owners own those two.

Note: _Italics within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between ~~~~ and ~~~~ are flash backs ^__^_

Chapter 6: Distant Memories

            "I see by the look on your face that you've heard of them." Duncan said as soon as he caught the look on Ran's face.

            Ran nodded slightly. He was by far, too numb to speak. A Watcher had killed his old friend Darius, an immortal who was, to his knowledge, the oldest one on earth. To say what had happened was a shock to the three hundred year old assassin would be a complete understatement.

            It was also unheard of, that  a watcher would go and do something as sinister as causing the death of a humble, inactive immortal; much less one who was a priest, who believed in nothing but helping people. What the watchers were supposed to do was what their name implied. They were to watch the immortals, the good ones, the bad ones, as well as the neutral. They were the chroniclers of their chosen immortal, even when the ones they observed rarely knew about their presence.

            Ran looked at his Scottish friend. "Who did it and why was it allowed to happen?"

            Duncan inhaled deeply. "A renegade Watcher by the name of James Horton was responsible for killing Darius." He paused for a second then continued. "It was also because of him that Tessa died." He momentary looked at Ran. "Anyway, the reason why he was "allowed" to do such a thing was because another friend and I got to the church too late. Other wise that psychopath wouldn't have been able to touch Darius, much less kill him. Besides, it wasn't like he had some sort of extravagant motive; he just thought we shouldn't exist at all. You know the whole "all immortals are evil" bullshit. I tell you because of him we were almost found out. The idiot."

            Ran raised one of his delicate crimson eyebrows. "You did stop him, right?"

            "Stopped him? I killed the bastard. I had to, or else he would have tried to kill all of us." Duncan's voiced held a satisfied tone to it. "I doubt I should have let him live after he destroyed so many of us for no reason. We have our own troubles to worry about with the game and not having some psycho after us."

            Ran didn't say anything, didn't judge him. He had no right to anyway. He was worse than his own friend; although one could always justify his own actions with Kritiker by saying that they deserved it even among immortal standards. It didn't, though, make him feel any better about the whole situation. He was after all only an assassin for a certain reason, one he loathed to remember but he did none the less.

            Duncan cleared his throat noisily. "So, Ran, care to tell me how you knew about the Watchers? It's not something that's common knowledge with our kind." He stared at the younger immortal in interest.

            "Hn…" Was the only reply the Scotsman received.

            As soon as that was said the crimson haired man began to move again, this time heading off the sidewalk into a forest area that a small park lay in, hidden to the naked eye of the road.

            Ran stopped at a bench and sat down, gesturing to his old friend to do the same.

            After a few moments of waiting for Duncan to make himself comfortable, he began to speak again. "Do you remember how I stayed in the monastery with Darius for a few years after you got my sword back for me?"

            "Yeah."

            "Well, after a few years of staying with him, I had to leave. His beliefs and mine tended to clash too much for my liking. He had his Christian, peaceful beliefs while I still clung to the ways of the samurai as I was taught by my father and then later Shion. Perhaps, it was for another reason all together, I don't know. It's been so long, that I can barely remember, but whatever the cause was, I ended  up returning here to Japan."

            Duncan nodded his head. He had also gone through the peaceful teachings of the monk; so he could understand exactly what the Japanese man had went through. After all, it wasn't an easy curriculum for a person, mortal or immortal, to follow, especially when you had to consider the nature of all human beings. Finding a peaceful solution to something wouldn't be an aspect of training a samurai would receive. "I know what you mean, Ran, but that doesn't have anything to do with how you know about the Watchers."

            "I'm getting there, Duncan." Ran flashed a tiny smile over in his direction. "For being over four hundred years old, you'd think you'd at least have learned a little something about patience by now. You need to work on that. Anyway, as I was saying, I came back here and lived, watching as the times and people changed. It was quite interesting to see. Although, around twenty years ago, I found out about the Watchers."

            "You've known about them for a quarter of a century and never once mentioned it to anyone?!" Duncan cried out in disbelief.

            "And it took you how many years after Darius' death to see me and inform me about it?" Ran pointed out.

            Duncan felt his cheeks heating up in a slight blush of embarrassment, "Well, I did have things that kept popping up and well… you know…"

            "As did I, so in a way, I guess you could say that we're even on that matter ne? Now as I was saying, it was around twenty years ago, when I came across the Watchers. Although, at the time, I didn't know that he was one."

            Ran gazed around the park, that the two sat in, thoughtfully. "It was in this park that we met actually. I had been sitting here, in this spot, watching as parents brought their children here to play. I've always enjoyed doing that you know. Sitting watching the children play here all the while growing up, then, bringing their own children here and doing the exact same thing. Anyway, I ended up staying here until it was almost time for the sun to set, so I got up to leave. I was making my way over to the entrance of the park when it hit me."

            "What that you were being followed by someone?"

            "Actually… let me rephrase that. I should have said, that's when he hit me…"

            "What?" Duncan exclaimed.

            "He fell out of a tree and landed on top of me."

            "He fell onto you?"

            "Yeah…"

            A look of disbelief flashed over Duncan's face.

            "Anyway, it took him almost an hour to stop apologizing, and when he did he told me the reason as to why he was there."

            "He actually confessed right off the bat to being a Watcher?"

            "No, he told me about how he brought his wife and newborn daughter to the park for a little picnic."

            "So, he wasn't your watcher?"

            "He was. It's just that I didn't find out about that until much later, maybe around a few weeks later. Then again, I pretty much had to force it out of him after I kept spotting him everywhere I went. Coincidences are bound to happen on occasion… but to see him no matter where I went is something that's highly unlikely.

            "True…"

            "The strangest thing about it was, I ended up finding out that he and I were related to each other. As in, he turned out to be the descendant of one of my father's brothers."

            "Ok, Ran, let me see if I have all of this down correctly. This guy, who so carelessly crashed into you because he was stupid enough to fall out of a tree, wasn't just your watcher, but was also a distant cousin of yours? I was always led to believe that something like that wasn't allowed to happen with Watchers."

            Ran shrugged. "Honestly, I still don't very much about them. He was kind of tight lipped on exactly how they did things. Don't get me wrong I do know how to identify them and what not, but on to your next question. Yes, we were related. We're both Fujimiya's. Moreover, he owned this tiny black book which held in its pages our family history. Then there was the fact that he and his daughter did hold some resemblance to my aunt while she was still alive."

            Duncan kept his mouth closed through all of this. He wanted to object to the likeliness of all of it being true, but with the points that Ran had given him, he couldn't quite argue with his friend's logic.  He gave a slight shake of his head. "So what happened after that?"

            "I started going over to their house every once in a while, then it ended up being and everyday thing. I think that ended up getting on his wife's nerves so she just demanded that I stayed with them to live. I was going to turn them down at first but decided not to argue with her. I swear that woman could probably have made mountains move with just one word. If she set her mind to it that is."

            Ran leaned his head back and gazed into the sky thoughtfully. "You know, Duncan, it's pretty funny how time can just seem to slip right past you when you're actually happy."

~~~~

            A young girl of around eight years old bounced into a tiny living room. Her two pigtails flew behind her almost as if some unseen force was holding them aloft.

            As soon as she entered into the room, she halted and glanced around. Her midnight blue eyes  alighted on a lone figure sitting within the room and emitted a small squeal of delight as she recognized who it was. It was her "ni-chan" sitting in a plush recliner sipping on a cup of tea.

            A smile spread from her bow like lips and in an instant she was off again at an astonishing speed. This time… in the direction of the young man.

            When she came within a few feet of him, she jumped up, flying into the air and landed in his lap, almost causing him to spill the hot contents over the both of them.

            "Aya!" Ran half yelled out and set down the steaming cup. "Warn me next time you decide to go and do something like that. I don't want to spill my tea on you and you get scalded."

            The young child called Aya just giggled. Every day the same thing happened and every time that it did her "ni-chan" would say the exact same thing. To her it was nothing but a game. One she enjoyed playing because it was the only time she could ever catch him off guard.

            Ran wrapped his arms around the girl and smiled. He was on the verge of chiding her again when she spoke up.

            "Ran-nichan! Ran-nichan! Guess what!"

            "What?"

            "When I grow up I'm going to marry you!"

            Ran laughed faintly at her words. "Aya, if I married you. I wouldn't be your ni-chan, besides by the time you are old enough, I'll be a wrinkled, old prune, laying on his death bed. I don't think you would want something like at would you?"

            Aya's face took on a crestfallen look as her ni-chan turned down her proposal. The look only lasted for a few seconds before a smile once again crept back, brightening her petite face. Her midnight blue iris sought out his violet ones. Her smile widening before she proclaimed in a loud voice, "Ran-nichan, you'll never get like that! You're going to live forever and not change!"

            A miniscule smile formed over Ran's lips when she spoke those words. Pulling her into a tight embrace, he looked out over her head. An old grandfather clock loomed against the wall.

            He stared at it in slight fascination; his mind going over what Aya had said while the seconds of eternal time passed by. He couldn't help but think about how such, a young, innocent child, could be so right about him.

~~~~

            Duncan stared at his friend in astonishment. "You mean you've been living with them for twenty years now?"

            Ran shook his head. "No, a couple of years ago, something happened. It forced me to move back out on my own again."

            "What was it? Another immortal?"

            "No, that wasn't it."

            "Then what happened?"

            Ran stood up. 

            "That is a tale best left untold until a later time." He said. An edge of iciness could be detected in his voice as he answered the Scottish man.

            It was at that point Duncan realized, that whatever it was that had happened, it was a spot to the Japanese man, so he let the subject drop. He stood up as well. "All right, maybe we'll talk about it some other time."

            Together the two men began walking again. Each one wrapped in their own thoughts of past times.

            They walked together in silence for a couple of hours when Ran's cell phone began to ring.

            "Moshi moshi…" Ran answered the phone then fell silent as he listened to the unknown voice at the other end. "Aa… I see. I'll be back as soon as I can." He hung up the phone and turned towards his friend. "I have to go back to the Koneko; they need me there."

            "Alright, we'll go back. When you're finished working, would you like to join Amanda and I for dinner?"

            "Amanda left."

            "What? … What do you mean she left?"

            "I was told that she left in search of something… fun… to do."

            Duncan stood there as the information sank into his head then began to curse fluently in five different tongues. After a few minutes he calmed down and spoke to Ran once more. "I can't believe that woman, who knows what she's planning on stealing right now. I have to stop her, Ran, before she gets herself into too much trouble."

            Ran nodded in agreement. "Hai."

            "I wish we could talk more … but I guess we can't. When I find her… if I find her, that is, I'll try to come back. Anyway, I'll see you when I do."

            With that said Duncan moved away from Ran, into the sea of mortals that surrounded them and disappeared.

            Ran watched as his friend was out of sight and sighed. He couldn't help but think bout how convenient that it had been Omi calling him. Not about Amanda but about Manx, it just so happened that Amanda had decided to leave at that point in time. It ended up giving Ran the perfect excuse for him not to have Duncan follow him back.

            He hated to admit it but he did tell his friend a little white lie about what Amanda was really doing. However, knowing some of the woman's history as he did, he knew that it would only stay a lie for a short period before actually becoming the truth.

            Ran took one last look at the sky before he began to head back to the flower store.

            An hour later he was walking inside the building through a side door.

            As soon as he stepped past the door's threshold, Ken strode up to him from out of the shadows.

            "Manx and the others are waiting in the mission room." He said, his voice a whisper.

            "Hn…"

            "Who were those people from earlier? Were they friends of yours?"

            Ran ignored the boy's questions and entered the mission room.

            As soon as he entered, he came face to face with her.

            She stood in front of him. Her pale green eyes filled with impatience and anger at having to wait over an hour just for the man to show up.

            "Abyssinian, must I remind you that the longer we spend here waiting for any one of you, the more time these evil doers have to wreck havoc in the city."

            Ran snorted and leaned against the wall. "Time is linear." He muttered, and then turned his attention to the wide screen television that showed the filth of the known world.

Author's Notes: I finally did it!

Schu: Finally gave up hope on ever becoming a real writer?

No silly I finally finished this chapter…

Schu: … good for you… 

Anyway… I doubt it's up to par but… I worked hard to get this thing out. I do hope you enjoy it. Read and review if you want to *shrugs* I'm out for now. Ja!


	7. Haunting Memories

I don't own Weiss Kreuz, but I think we all are beginning to understand that by now aren't we? I've written how many fan fictions? I also don't own Highlander the Series, it's was produced by David Panzer though… think that's how his name is spelled…

Note: _Italics_ within this story are used for thoughts. Also anything in between Line breaks are flashbacks .

Chapter 7: Haunting Memories

(Part 1)

Darkness, it always had to happen around darkness. Although, at this time it was very bright, but it wasn't the sun lending it's golden warmth to the people. It was the cold artificial light that had become a widely used luxury, invented by Thomas Edison, of America. It was rather impersonal, but at least the air smelled cleaner than what it had before, well before crude oil was discovered and turned into a fuel for automobiles to use.

Ran thought it was all useless junk, but he had to admit to himself that it did make life a bit easier. He did like his Porsche as well, but in a way there could be no comparison between what they called horse power used to push cars to incomprehensible speeds on an open freeway; to that of the awesome gait of a horse galloping at an insane pace of an open field in broad daylight.

One good thing about his car was it at least kept him from getting saddle sore unlike the horse.

All of it was just to convenient, but like the fast food restaurants, he just had to accept the fact that his beloved Japan was changing, and for the better he hoped.

_And this change, _he thought to himself. A sigh hovering at his lips. _Is what the others are working towards._

He gave his head an imperceptible shake and wiped clean a glass he had just finished washing only a few seconds ago.

It was always the same. They had a target, some evildoer; the unjust one, the one that the laws turned a blind eye too. It was the one they had to destroy, maim, kill, however you wanted to call it. This was their duty in life, or at least for him a small fraction in his seemingly never-ending one. This is what they chose to do and most of them never looked back at their old life with regret.

Who would want to anyway? They were paid handsomely for their deeds. Then again all assassins were.

"Hey bartender!" A man called to him, interrupting his thoughts. "I'm tired of this swill they call wine. I want a decent drink. Do what you're getting paid for and give a scotch on the rocks!" He ordered Ran. A sneer graced the drunken man's face almost as if Ran was nothing but the dirt off his shoes or that the immortal in front of him had no clue to what he wanted or what he was doing.

"Yes sir," Ran acknowledged quietly, suppressing the desire to kill such a young whelp standing in front of him. Such arrogance that the human race had no a days was astonishing, then again Ran was now seen as a nobody instead of the son of a samurai like he had been in the eighteenth century. Besides this wasn't their target someone else was.

He had to grin and bear it, well he never smiled, but he didn't let it get to him either.

This was his job to do after all.

He quickly fixed the ordered drink and turned his back before the man could order something else. He wasn't about to kill the man for stupidity.

_All of this should be simple, _he though picking up a glass of water; he'd fixed for himself earlier and took a long drink from it.

So far, this is all that the night consisted of; rude, drunken or half drunk depending on how early in the night it was, men and women would walk up to the bar, order some heavy drink then walk off. Sometimes they would actually leave a tip for him. It didn't happen very often.

Most of the time it would be some stupid slogan they thought was funny, but in reality it wasn't.

It was at best to say that he enjoyed getting the money, which he pocketed as soon as they handed it to him, than the idiotic sayings. The money could at least be spent.

He, in all honestly, didn't need the money. Being just over three hundred years old did have it's uses, yet it wasn't a bad idea for him to save it either. Who knew when there would be a time in which he would need the money? Hell, Japan could go through an economical slump like America did for a decade. He of course hoped that it never happened but he was only an immortal not a fortuneteller.

Even with him it was the same, except for the gathering and that was tenuous at best.

Only one immortal was going to win but no one knew who it was going to be.

He idly glanced around the room looking for their target.

Chandeliers hung from vaulted ceilings, high enough so none would bother any of the taller party goers but low enough to occasionally cast a sparkle of it's prism luminance across the floors.

It was an upper class affair filled with politicians and their spouses

Women in sequin gowns of all hues either twirled around the floor or stood next to black tuxedo dressed husbands. Everyone was at ease and the soft murmur of voices that filled the room told the immortal that everyone was enjoying themselves as well. The only thing that wasn't right about the ball was that it was missing one person.

The man they were hunting hadn't arrived yet to their knowledge, but their sources said that he was going to show up.

He was after all one of the major supporters for a politician named Reiji Takatori, but other than that he was a scumbag. Weren't they all? He dealt in the illegal selling of children as well as a few other things. Ran figured that when the guy had started out he thought, "why the hell not" and did it all as if he were a man damned from the beginning.

Then again he was.

Ran continued to casually glance around the room hoping that the target would arrive shortly. Before he could finish his look around a body stood directly in front of him and blocked his view.

"Aya," Yohji said softly while removing empty champagne glasses from a tray.

That was his duty for the night, to play waiter for all the foolish men and women out there. He didn't have to take orders though; all he had to do was walk around carrying glasses around. Ran was the one who actually did the work of filling the glasses. "Omi's reported in, so far there hasn't been sight of our target. However, he did over hear two men that work for him saying that he should be here sometime soon."

Ran nodded. It was bad enough that the man was running late for the party, but they couldn't do anything about him until after he left. In addition, it didn't help much that they had to use two different trackers, one for his car, and one on the man himself. There was no telling if he would leave on his own or with somebody else.

"What's Hidaka doing?" Ran asked, looking around once more trying to find the young man and couldn't.

"Our little overseer decided to be nice to us and gave him a fifteen minute break, so I suspect that he's down in the parking lot kicking a ball around. God only know where he keeps one on his bike, but he sure as hell doesn't go anywhere without one." Yohji leaned against the counter. "So are you going to fill up some more glasses or are you going to continue standing there staring everyone down to the first floor of this place, Aya?"

Ran jerked his eyes back to the lanky young man standing in front of him. Truth be told, he had almost forgotten that Yohji was standing there waiting for him to do his job. " I know how to do my job Kudoh." Quickly he brought out some clean glasses and set them on the tray.

"Right, right," Yohji agreed, watching the red head fill the glasses with a cheap wine. "Maybe you should end up keeping this job instead of staying with our other one."

Yohji picked up the now full and glass heavy tray and let himself be engulfed by the crowd of partygoers.

Soon enough, fifteen minutes had passed and Ken walked into the ballroom heading directly to the bar.

"Aya, why don't you go take a break? I'll cover for you here. Besides," he lowered his voice. "Yohji and I can be on the look out for him for the little while you're gone."

"Why don't you have Kudoh go instead of me," Ran said shortly. "I don't need a break."

"Hmph, this is the first time tonight that I've actually seen that lazy good for nothing do anything… except for hitting on anything in a skirt. Most of them are married to boot."

Ran glanced over to where the young playboy was and couldn't help admitting what Ken said was true.

Although out the night he hadn't really seen the young man do anything. Most of the time, he would stand there talking to one woman or another while the other guests would walk up to him and grab a glass off the tray that was so conveniently held out almost at arms length from him.

It surprised Ran with how much tenacity his supposed elder had when it concerned anything walking about on two legs while wearing a skirt. He was almost beginning to think that it didn't matter to Yohji how they looked. They could be fat, ugly, bald, brunette, red haired, married, single, or divorced… the list went on and on but he would give them all the same amount of attention he did to the others.

_Well he did make on little distinction with them, _Ran amended mentally. _He will never touch anything under eighteen. That's jailbait to him. I wonder how he would act if I told him that with the way laws are today anyone would be considered that to me. Unless, of course they were another immortal, then perhaps it might just be the reverse._

"Ken…" Ran started to speak again but was cut off by a wave of the brunet's hand.

"No, Aya, you're going to take a break and I'll cover for you, besides I think Yohji needs to suffer for a bit longer." He gave Ran a quick smile before pulling him out from behind the bar. "No go… but be back in fifteen minutes."

Before Ran had another chance to say anything he was out from behind the counter and Ken was in his place, a smiling gracing his lips for the next person to come up.

Ran raised one delicate eyebrow before mentally shrugging it off. There was no way he would ever be able to talk Ken out of something like this when he had already set his mind to it. What really caused Ran to almost stop in his tracks was that every time Ken stubbornly panted his foot down on the ground was when he wanted to be of some kind of assistance to the immortal.

He'd seen women act this way before towards him, mortal and immortal alike. Most of the time it happened was when the woman in question wanted to share his bed, but he couldn't believe that of Ken. No, he wouldn't believe it so he let it go and started to leave the building.

It was only a moment later when Ran found himself standing outside.

The lights from the streets sparkled like diamonds against the pavement, showing that while they had been inside, the night sky had shed its moisture onto the parched ground.

_It's so much like that night, _he thought. _No, not exactly, that night it seemed as if the sky was weeping for what was about to happen. This one feels different almost as if the earth is trying to cleanse itself of the cankerous taint that was dwelling inside the hotel's very walls or perhaps it's even more than that._

Whatever the case may be Ran stood there watching the starry sky, searching for something to hold on to for a short period.

* * *

It had only taken a few moments for the weather to go from extremely pleasant to uncomfortable.

A little while ago the weatherman had been predicting that the skies that night would be clear, so clear that one could see into the Kami plains. At least that was what the man had said verbatim. It was a to find out that he had been wrong, but then again even the forces of nature were likely to be unpredictable as with human tendencies.

Aya stood under a shelter, her braided hair hung damply at the sides of her face while tiny beads of water slowly dripped down.

Today was the day of her fifteenth birthday and from the time she had awakened she had commandeered the body of her favorite older brother. "Aniki? You're going to take me, mamma, and papa out to eat when we get back right?"

Ran smiled at her, "What's this? No more calling me ni-chan?" He gave her a bemused look. All throughout the day she had been calling him Ran ni-chan. He didn't know what had brought about the sudden change but he could guess.

He thought it had something to do with the two young ladies standing on either side of his young cousin. All it took was two looks of disdain, one from each of the ladies, upon hearing her call him that and she was automatically changing to show her friends that she wasn't a child any longer but a young woman.

Ran shook his head. No matter what century it was, teenagers were all the same.

It amused him to no end but hurt as well. Pretty soon, this little band of sunshine would be gone from his immortal life and it was coming sooner than he wanted it too. "However, to answer your question, yes, I am taking you three out to eat. Why would I?" He smiled softly at her. "First, we have to wait for the rain to stop. If I don't and you get sick from being out in the rain too long you're mother would kill me."

"Alright," she said, a bright smile forming on her face. "Can we have French? I've been wanting to try it ever since my teacher came back from France over the holidays."

"We'll have whatever you want. It's your birthday after all."

"Yay!" She bounced excitedly. "I can't wait!"

* * *

Author's Notes: hehehehe, sorry stopping it off in the middle of a flash back… I had to got a bit of writers block but I do at least have a bit over two thousand words with this… so it's all good.

Schu: All good my ass you need to write more

Hn, you're one to talk Mr. I'm too lazy to even give any inspiration to help me write.

Schu: … that's a mouth full

I'll give you a mouth full if you don't start working! –Coughs- uhm yeah anyway tell me what ya think if you are thinking anything ja!


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